Big Data in Recruitment

One of the big topics in recruitment today is “Big Data” and the usage of data to hire efficiently. It’s going to be one of the key subjects that we’ll be discussing at the Jobg8 Job Board Summit in June. We are delighted that IBM and one of their top consultants will be joining us. They’ll present and also join a panel discussion on the subject.

But what does this term really mean and how can it be used? We’ve decided to share with you our best of the “Big Data in Recruitment” blogs.

Are You Recruiting Smart? The Application of Big Data in HR

The use of Big Data and analytics has become more common and accepted in the business world, and business leaders are finding new ways in which to utilize them. Many companies have already used Big Data in marketing and advertising, but a new area has quickly emerged. Human resource departments are now using data analytics in the hiring and recruitment, essentially transforming how many businesses work.

It’s no secret that companies — particularly small businesses and startups — face challenges when it comes to finding and hiring the best possible talent. While it’s true that the age of the internet has made a wealth of information available on potential candidates, wading through all that data can be a considerable time (and money) suck. It’s enough to make you miss the good old days when referrals were the only way to find employees. (In fact, referrals are still an important factor, but more on that later.)

Anyone who knows the recruiting field understands the intense workload and fast pace that recruiters must operate in. Additionally, recruiting isn’t a skill you learn once and then spend the rest of your career on autopilot, either. As a result, recruiters have always needed to be the early adopters of the HR world, passionate about finding the best tools and the hottest sources for candidates to get the job done. No sooner have recruiters begun to incorporate the latest tool (i.e. social media) into their daily practices than they come upon the new It Girl of business: Big Data.

Sports teams have realised the potential of taking a data-driven approach to recruitment, but with staffing taking up a large chunk of firms’ costs, is corporate recruiting ripe for the same transformation?

Staffing the right candidate for a job opening is a daunting task. HR personnel typically spend anywhere between a few weeks to several months sourcing applications, evaluating candidates, shortlisting individuals, etc. This effort is tantamount to finding the legendary needle in a haystack. Recruiters and HR teams, as on date, have to still manually sift through tomes of applications to shortlist the right candidates.